Getting into the music industry can be really challenging. And yet, it could also be rewarding if this is your true calling. But whatever the case, starting your DJ career entails a lot of time, effort, and knowledge.
So, if you really want to start soon, and you want to be great at it, here are some of the best tips that will definitely help you in 2020 as per pros and experts of today:
Be A Multi-Genre DJ
There are a lot of DJs today in every scenery of the music industry. However, only a handful of them is succeeding according to their plans and goals. This is because most of the DJs in recent times are only focused on a specific genre. While it has its own merits, the times have changed and so are your listeners.
Keep in mind that if you are a multi-genre DJ, you become more versatile than the rest of the common DJs of today. And the more versatile you are, the more the opportunities of excelling in your chosen career. Not to mention, your listeners from various genres can keep up with you.
Learning Basic DJ Skills
Quite obviously, you will need to learn the basic skills first, especially if you do not have any knowledge about being a DJ. And learning these skills is like giving yourself much more advanced music lessons. So, before anything else, you must first pay attention to your capacities and skills.
It is worth noting that without learning these things, it will be very difficult for you to enter the scene.
Beat Mixing
Beat mixing or beat-matching is arguably the most basic skill that you must learn. While being deemed as the most basic, it is also considered to be the crucial base. This is because beat mixing is basically getting two tracks to play at the same tempo and phase.
You can accomplish this by adjusting the tempo via the pitch fader. As for the phase, you can adjust it through the pitch-bend button or the jog wheel. But if you want a manual approach, you can do via physical manipulation of the record.
Sound Effects
Sound effects are actually the variety of presets and controls that can alter the whole surface of the track. You can utilize the presets or control through your chosen DJ software. And depending on the software, the sound effects will vary. Hence, it will largely depend on your own preference and taste of music.
Phrasing
If you’ve taken guitar lessons before, then phrasing will make a lot more sense. But if not, phrasing is simply the mixing of tracks at points where they make total sense. And typically, the most “DJ-able” tracks are 4/4. In short, you will need to master counting up to four in order for you to incorporate one track to another.
Keep in mind that almost all of the tracks that you will be handling are all 4/4. Whether it may be rock, hip hop, country, or electric pop, it will definitely be 4/4.
Gain Control
Gain control in the world of DJ-ing is simply the skill of controlling the volumes. And in any DJ software, this may vary. Even so, the most important aspects that you need to understand are your rig’s line fader and crossfader.
While some software features the auto-gain functions, which can be very convenient during gigs, you still have to understand the underlying principles of the whole volume adjustment and gain control.
Eqing
EQing is just a short-term for equalizing. And this DJ skill is very important as it will help you in boosting and/or cutting frequencies. It is worth noting that boosting and cutting frequencies are the things that you will need to blend multiple tracks smoothly.
Some DJs have three-band EQ: low, mid, and high or the bass, midrange, and treble. Others, however, are much more comfortable with four bands. And these include low, low-mid, high-mid, and high.
But depending on your software, the number of bands for EQing will vary. So, you must be really careful in choosing your DJ software, especially if you want to get your career started soon.
Final Thoughts
Some people think that being a DJ is easy since DJ software apps and rigs are widely available, plus they come with shortcut presets and functions. But little did most of them know that it takes a great deal of time and effort to become a great DJ.
Nevertheless, these tips will get you started to reach your end goal of becoming a great and profession DJ in the future. So, start today and practice always.
